Buseruka Mini Power Dam Completion Delays

In shortThe power project was slated for commissioning in November last year but energy ministry permanent secretary, Fred Kabagambe Kaliisa, says the project will be completed in mid 2012.

The completion of a nine-megawatt hydro-mini power dam on River Wambabya in Buseruka Sub-county Hoima district has been delayed.

The power project was slated for commissioning in November last year but energy ministry permanent secretary, Fred Kabagambe Kaliisa, says the project will be completed in mid 2012.

Kabagambe, who accompanied the energy minister Irene Muloni on a field tour of the dam on Tuesday evening, attributes the delay to lack of a foundry, a machine used for bending pipes and iron sheets used in the dam construction.

Kabagambe explained that such a machine is only available in Kenya and binding the pipes from Kenya is too costly requiring about US$ 360,000.

The energy permanent secretary says the ministry instead opted to import its own machine from Italy at a cheaper price of US$300,000 thus delaying the construction works.

The machine is currently in transit at Mombasa, according to Kabagambe. He, however, says once this machine is brought, in addition to bending the dam pipes it would also be used for the same purpose at the oil refinery plant located in Kabaale-Buseruka, about 18 miles away.

The 36-million-dollar project was contracted by Hydromax limited. Redyy Maheswara, the Hydromax director reveals that the work completion has also been hampered by geological problems.

He explains that they have encountered hard rocks underground and this slowed the pace of work.

But energy minister Irene Muloni says despite the delay she is optimistic the project completion would heal the power challenges currently experienced in Uganda.

The minister s’ visit to the site was part of her two day tour of the oil exploration sites in Hoima and Buliisa districts.

Construction works on the dam started seven years ago with funding from African Development Bank and implemented under the government’s Rural Electrification Program.

Currently, work at the site is in advanced stages with a power line extension to Kinubi in Hoima town from where power produced will be connected to the national grid.